Aston Villa win a first Europa League title in Istanbul
Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendía and Morgan Rogers gave Unai Emery's side a comfortable 3–0 win over SC Freiburg at the Beşiktaş Stadium, delivering Aston Villa their first European trophy since the 1982 European Cup and their first silverware of any kind since the 1996 League Cup.
A statement win in Istanbul
Aston Villa never looked troubled on the biggest night of their season, controlling large spells of the final against a Freiburg side appearing in its first major European final and putting the game to bed well before the hour mark.
Tielemans, Buendía and Rogers on target
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring, Emiliano Buendía doubled the lead before the break, and Morgan Rogers — since departed for Chelsea in a British-record deal — added a third to make it 3–0 and put the result beyond doubt.
The end of a 44-year wait
Villa's only previous European trophy came in the 1982 European Cup, and this is the club's first silverware of any description since lifting the League Cup in 1996. Captain and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez lifted the trophy despite playing through a broken finger.
What's next
Villa return to the Champions League for 2026–27 on the strength of their fourth-place Premier League finish rather than as Europa League winners, joining Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool as part of a record five English clubs in the competition.
Sources: UEFA, Aston Villa FC, Sky Sports, May 2026.